The tale of the reclusive neighbor hunkered down in the house down the street, surrounded by a lifetime of clutter is a familiar one. But in the case of one elderly man who recently passed away in California, along with all that detritus was a collection of gold that’s estimated to be worth about $7 million. He must’ve been one of those 10 million Americans eschewing bank accounts. [More]

Most people presumably watch the A&E show Hoarders to gawk at people who lack self-control and have allowed themselves to live in squalor. But then there’s another subset of the viewership, who watch because they see a little too much of themselves in the subjects. [More]

Listen, we know gas costs more than $4 a gallon, and may go even higher, but that doesn’t mean you should start stockpiling gas. Two Dartmouth natives learned this the hard way when the 45-gallons of gas they were hoarding in nine plastic jugs ignited, nearly burning down their eight-unit apartment complex.

Get Rich Slowly points us towards an interesting short film by Martin Hampton that deals with 4 different “hoarders.” One of them, a compulsive shopper, owes more in credit card debt than he does on his mortgage. He often buys the same product over and over again. [Vimeo]